Postpartum Joint Pain

I am wondering if anyone else is experiencing postpartum joint pain. My daughter is 7 months now and I am still struggling with chronic joint pain. I would love to speak with anyone who is experiencing similar pain.

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My ladies, I have had join pain shortly after I had my daughter who is 3 months now.... The pain was unbearable especially on the bottom of my feet. Walking was extremely difficult. My family dr did a bunch of blood tests on me and they all came out normal. I was also seen by a rhomatolist because my dr thought it could be arthritis but thanks god It wasn't . Now, I am almost pain free thanks to these ginger teas I have been drinking. I started drinking ginger because it seems to help with this cough I have and you have no idea how much better I feel now from the join pain as well...I could have never thought ginger could help but it does. I just wanted to share with all of you. Buy the real ginger cut into pieces or put in the blender and then boil it... I drink it before bedtime and also in the morning.The more i drink it the better i feel :)

My baby is 2 weeks and 1 day old, about a couple days ago i woke up freezing and in sever pain in my joints, i actually thought that maybe i had come down with a cold or a bug of some sorts. i tried to sleep it off but when i woke up i was still in sever pain. i took 2 ibuprofen and took care of myself as if i was getting sick. I have found that i wake up in the middle of the night and every morning since then feeling the same exact way. Has anyone figured out what this is and how to stop it? i dont wanna live on ibuprofen forever but it seems to make me feel normal again....

I've read this thread numerous times in the last nine months, and wanted to add my experience - and hopefully help people remain optimistic about a horrible consequence of pregnancy!

My daughter was born in March and by 6wks I had stiffness in my fingers, thumbs and wrists. It progressively became more painful and debilatating, and I finally admitted it was a huge problem one day when I couldn't open a shampoo bottle and dressing took 10mins - never mind looking after a 12wk old baby. I was terrified I had RA or another chronic condition and spent many sleepless nights (where any movement was agony) worrying. I went to the Dr who prescribed naproxen and ran full blood tests. The naproxen improved things immensly. The blood tests were normal on all rheumatic factors and thyroid markers - however, my inflammatory markers were raised. My Dr told me that inflammatory surges are normal post pregnancy, and I was probably showing symptoms in my hands as they were being so overused. He reassured me he didn't think it was anything more sinister, but to monitor things closely. Over time my hand pain eased....but when my daughter was about 6months it was my ankles that became the problem! They became stiff and painful, and walking felt impossible at times. Again a prescription of naproxen helped and blood tests had similar results, although the inflammation was reduced from before. My Dr urged me to be patient, but did offer

My Dr urged me to be patient and that things would ease, but did offer a referral to a rheumatologist. I opted for patience - now at 9 months and things feel nearly normal. I need to take ibuprofem once a week or so, which is miles away from when I used to not know how I could get through the day without a cocktail of anti-inflammatories. Bodies definately take time to recover from birth, and for some of us the inflammatory response is something we need to endure - but I'm sure in most cases it will ease.......eventually!

I had horrible joint pain from three months on after birth of my second baby--first in fingers and thumb, then knees, feet, elbows, ankles, sternum. Misdiagnosed repeatedly by rheumatologists at expert hospitals. Had pain for almost a year and read stuff on these message boards. Went gluten free for two weeks, pain in half. By four weeks pain completely gone. I lived with it for too long. I hate fad diets, and lord knows I love my bread, but it was good to have my life back. Worth the sacrifice of food entirely. And I knew in two weeks time. Good luck to you.

I also plan on trying a gluten free diet to see if it eases my symptoms. Glad to hear it helped someone! I think anxiety and stress are adding to our symptoms too. As mothers, wives, sisters, daughters we tend to carry the load of caregiving. I'm trying to take better care of myself so I can take better care of my family. Hope we all find relief this new year!

Please consider your diets! I had 3 boys and severe pain in my joints, hips and including my hands for years and was on pain medication daily.

I added a high quality (not off the grocery store shelf, but through Isagenix) joint formula with glucosamine, chondroitin and MSM... along with anti-inflammatory herbs and natural ingredients in the product. I also made a significant change in my overall diet incorporating a lot more healthy food and eliminating refined sugar which creates huge inflammation problems in our bodies. Learn what foods help alleviate inflammation in your bodies (whey protein, onions, garlic, spicy food, omega's, etc) to also help your joints and overall health.

As mothers, we tend to put ourselves last... it took me 10 years to finally take care of me and I feel 110% better than I felt when I was in my early 20's (that's 20 years ago! LOL!). I wish I knew what I know now during and after my pregnancies.

Our bodies require over 90 minerals and vitamins every day to perform as it was designed... and we just don't do a good job of making sure to fill in all the gaps. When our bodies experience pain, it's trying to tell us something. Instead of using drugs, try natural healthy alternatives first... drink more water, better sleep, eliminate/reduce caffeine... we all know this is what we need, but we want the quick fix.

Also, make your own bone broth - here's a great recipe and explaination of all the amazing health and joint benefits that I found recently:

I am mother of two sons . When my first son was born, I had these joint pains , even the finger joints were not spared.Then after six months when i visited my country my mom suggested me to get a massage( which is called post delivery body massage which focusses on joints and releives the pain , it gives heat to the joints.) I had massage for 1 and a half month and all the joint pain was gone .

This time for my second son, I had this massage right from the 7th day after delivery and continued till 1 month. My second son is 5 months now, I didnt had any joint pain except a bit of back pain till now.

im hopiing its not as serious. As im typing now, my right hand and fingers are crippled. i feel really crippled. The pain spreads then goes away. From my fingers to my leg to my feet up my shoulder..do i have arthritus? And im tooo young. Im 22 yrs old with a 7month baby girl! This started since probably 2-3 weeks ago. All i do is PRAY to God that He delivers me from this unknown activity that goes on in this body of mines. I dnt want to bre disable from giving care to my child. (scary thought)

UPDATE: I am nearly 15 months PP. It is much better and I don't have anymore days where DH has to stay home with our LO but there is still pain in my feet, hands, knees and both shoulders. My right shoulder has only been at 50% mobility for nearly 8 months. I have been to 3 different PTs and even one who uses the Feldenkrais method which actually made things worse. Tomorrow I go back to the PT I was seeing when I was PG and had pelvic disfunction. They are at the hospital and also concentrat on sports medicine.

To the poster re: diet. I am a pescatarian and have an incredibly healthy diet. I run a blog on pescatarian recipes and am overly vigilient about our meals. I made all my LOs food from scratch and grow or purchase organic. Diet may help some but it has no bearing on me.

Mornings are still the worse but have gotten better. I wake up to swollen fingers, aching calfs, pain in the bottom of my feet and butt (sciatica). I am going to start Hot Yoga next week. A friend of mine who also experienced PP joint pain found a lot of relieve from it. I am willing to try anything. Acupuncture has still been the only thing that has eased the symptoms. I wouldn't be where I am now in this recovery without it.